We're only best friends but
by AgentOfShip
Summary: As they're enjoying their holidays together during their academy years, Fitz and Simmons get into some drunken shenanigans. A few years later, those shenanigans come back to bite them in the ass and have some unexpected repercussions.


« Come on Fitz, just one drink! » Jemma insisted using her best pleading tone and puppy dog eyes as she looked up at her best friend. In three years of friendship, she'd almost always been able to convince him of anything using that combination.

« No Simmons I'm bloody tired! And all because Oh Fitz we have to go the Eye first thing in the morning or we'll have to wait for hours! And London is so lovely in the morning light!» He mumbled with a bad impression of her English accent and high pitched voice and she swatted his arm.

« Urgh Fitz, I hate it when you use that voice, that's not even how I sound! »

« Would have been just as lovely during sunset ... and it's not like you've already been on it before anyway … » He kept on rambling, ignoring her answer.

« Of course I did it already but I wanted to do it with you because you're my best friend, you dolt! » She sighed before lacing her arm through his and looking up at him once more. « It was nice though, wasn't it? » She asked, her voice hopeful, after a moment of silence as they kept on walking through the streets of London. It was the beginning of august, the weather was nice and as they were just outside of the big touristic areas, it was relatively calm and she could probably have kept on walking like that for hours. She knew grumpy was his default mode anyway but she also sincerely hoped her best friend was still enjoying himself as much as she did.

« Yeah yeah of course it was Jemma … » He answered with a small smile, his tone much softer.

« So … drink? » She asked and he let out a loud sigh but not without giving her a small side grin and she knew she had him. She knew that smile too well by now, it meant he was about to agree anyway but still wanted to make her work for it some more. Well she supposed it was only fair.

« Come on, it's our last day here and who knows when we'll be able to come back … or drink alcohol without having to lie about our age … » She added with a triumphant smile because she knew that this argument would most likely convince him for good. He kept ranting about having to wait another two years to drink in the US when they'd been legal in the UK for a year.

« Fine … » He let out after pretending to think about it for a minute. « … but no more than an hour and then you let me go to bed! » He finished and Jemma chuckled.

« Aww Fitz ... so young and already such a grumpy old man! » She teased.

« Hey! » He cried out with an affronted expression on his face as he pushed her away, pretending to turn back even though they were walking aimlessly anyway. Bursting out laughing, she caught up to him quickly and laced her arm around his once more as she pulled him back in the other direction.

« Come on I'm just teasing, that's really sweet of you and you know I just want to take advantage of you as much as I can before we both go our separate ways for the rest of the holidays! » She said in a much softer tone before getting up on her toes to press a small kiss to his cheek. She still remembered when they first met and they were both the exact same height and people thought he was her younger brother. And now suddenly she had to lift her head to look him in the eyes and he'd been proudly sporting a slight scruff since the beginning of the holidays.

« Take advantage of me? Really? » He answered, waggling his eyebrows suggestively and she rolled her eyes at him. Obviously, he was acting way more boldly than he actually felt because she could perfectly see the small blush that had taken over his cheeks where she kissed him but she decided to let it go for once.

« You know what I mean Fitz … »

« Yeah yeah … » He answered, detaching his arm from hers and putting it around her shoulder. His arms also felt stronger than they did a few years back and it made being in his embrace even nicer than it used to.

« Come on then, I know just the place, 's not far from here. First round's on me! » She chirped, snaking her arm around his waist to pull him to the left at the crossroad.

« First AND ONLY round right? »

« Of course Fitz! »

-0-0-0-

As her brain slowly came back to consciousness, the first thing Jemma registered was the pounding headache. She didn't remember much but if the foul taste in her mouth was anything to go by, there had obviously been more than one or two drinks. "God … if Fitz is in the same state as I am … he's going to be so pissed off … » Jemma thought as she fought not to fall asleep again like she did at least two times that morning. Something in the back of her brain told her she had to get up at some point.

As she tried to open her eyes, the second thing she registered was the Sun peaking through the curtains. So much sunlight. Why was there so much sunlight? It was London not … not-not … some … sunny country … oh god, did alcohol completely fry her brain? Why wasn't she capable of thinking about a single sunny … Oh Spain! Spain was sunny! all good!

Now trying to make her body wake up as well as well as her mind, she tried to roll around in bed from where she was lying on her stomach but found that she couldn't. Something heavy on her back was preventing her from moving at all. « What the … why are those covers so heavy. Are they made out of iron plates or something? » She wondered … until said cover moved of its own accord, leaving her free to move herself but with a whole new set of questions in her mind.

Rolling to her side to see what or most likely who it was, she breathed a sigh of relief when she realized it was Fitz, who was by the way still blissfully asleep, and not some stranger … WAIT WHAT? No that wasn't good at all ... Why was Fitz in her bed? "Oh no no no no no … » Jemma whispered, her heart suddenly beating wildly in her chest. Could they actually have … She only vaguely remembered telling him how much she loved him and how glad she was to have him as a best friend and that they should do something about it … Surely she expected him to make fun of her in the morning for being so sappy but could things have escalated from there? Could they have been so stupid as to ruin their friendship by having meaningless drunken sex she couldn't even remember?

Taking a few deep breaths, she noted that she didn't feel any kind of soreness in her muscles or … somewhere else indicative of sex not long ago. Lifting the covers a bit, she was also able to note that she still had her underwear and t-shirt on and turning around to peak through her fingers … « Oh thank god! » She breathed out. Same went for Fitz.

So they drank too much, came back to the hotel, started getting ready for bed and both fell asleep on her bed before Fitz had the courage to walk the few steps to his own twin bed in the room they were sharing. So a funny story they'd laugh about in the future. Nothing more and nothing bad. Crisis averted!

With that in mind, Jemma started turning around to try and wake Fitz up but then her right butt cheek touched the mattress and she let out a small whimper. It hurt like … like … like someone just gave her a … spanking ... Oh no … did Fitz and her actually do … something?

No … after another moment of panic, she realized the pain was concentrated on quite a small area and it actually felt more like some kind of sun burn, as ridiculous as it was to get a sun burn here and in London of all places. Reaching back, she felt like there was a bandage of sorts on her butt cheek but as much as she tried, she couldn't bend enough to actually see what was there. So letting out a big sigh, she pushed the actual covers back and stood up and winced at how sore her muscles actually felt. But she was 99 percents sure that could be attributed to all the walking they did the previous day as well as the hangover. Walking towards the full length mirror attached to the bathroom door, she turned around and pushed her knickers down a bit. There was a bandage but it seemed to be made out of plastic wrapper and definitely didn't look like the kind you'd get at the hospital or even find in an emergency kit.

Preparing for the worst, she still let out a small high pitched squeal when she saw what was underneath it. Here in the middle of her right butt cheek, in black and most likely unremovable ink, were the letters F and S drawn in a rather elegant kind of handwriting and intertwined with what seemed to be branches of DNA. She wondered if …

« Hu Simmons? What are you doing? » Fitz's voice was still hoarse from sleep and grumpy … so nothing unusual, but she still shrieked in surprise as she quickly pulled her knickers back up and shrieked once more as it brushed her sensitized skin.

« Fitz don't scare me like that! » She cried out, trying to look as serious as was possible with no trousers on.

« Then stop screaming so early in the morning! »

« It's eleven o'clock Fitz! »

« Well it's still morning … » He trailed off. His eyes were a bit unfocused and his face flushed pink and he still hadn't met her eyes once.

« Fitz? »

« Yeah … »

« Will you stop looking at my arse please? » She asked and he blushed a deeper shade of red as his eyes went from her reflection in the mirror to his lap.

« Sorry … maybe just stop exposing it for everyone to see … »

« Urgh Fitz! » She let out with a sigh, moving to sit on the opposite untouched bed. « I needed to see something … » She trailed off and he looked at her with a strange look in his eyes.

« Oh and hum … Was there-was there … something to see? » He asked, sounding like he was a bit scared of knowing what she was going to answer.

« Yeah … I'm afraid so … a tattoo … a fresh one Fitz! » She whimpered.

« Oh … I was hoping it was some kind of weird alcohol induced dream … » He let out and she squinted her eyes at him. « Is there any chance that it's not an FS with intertwined DNA branches? » he asked and her eyes widened.

« Oh no that's exactly that! So you were with me when I did it and you let me do it while I was drunk? » She cried out, not knowing if she was more angry at him or herself at the moment.

« Hey hey hey calm down! I didn't LET YOU do anything. You decided to do it and it was your idea to begin with and I did try to stop you but you … » He trailed off and twisted around in a weird position before finishing. « … somehow you actually got me to do the same! »

« Oh … » She let out sheepishly. « Can I see it? » She added after a moment, standing up and moving to his -well technically her- bed to reach for the covers.

« Hey hey hey! Keep your hands to yourself you crazy woman! » He cried out in a not so masculine voice and much thicker Scottish brogue and she ended up sitting on the side of the bed.

« But you've seen mine a minute ago! »

« Well I didn't ask for it! »

« Oh come on … »

« No way and you've seen it last night and it's the same as yours anyway! »

« But I don't remember it … » She pouted.

« Well 's not my fault you're such a lightweight … » He mumbled and she just rolled her eyes, sighing.

« At least it's kind of pretty … » She said after a minute of silence and he chuckled. « What? It's true … not that I ever thought about getting a tattoo before but you have to admire the technique … it really is nicely done … »

« Yeah I guess … » He replied, giving her his first genuine smile since they woke up. « Oh and hum … if you were wondering ... the DNA branches are actually ours … I still had the results of the analysis we did for our last project on my phone and I thought it'd be a nice touch since science is what brought us together in the first place … » He finished, his voice trailing off as he looked down in slight embarrassment.

« Oh Fitz … » She cooed. « That's actually quite beautiful … » and strangely romantic, she added in her head, frowning in confusion for a second as she wondered where that idea had come from. « No wonder drunk me liked that idea! » She added and they shared an amused smile.

« Yeah … I guess in terms of drunken tattoo, it could have been worse! » He answered. « You could have gotten Milton's initials … »

« Urgh Fitz! » She whined at the memory of her boring ex boyfriend.

« Or his face … » He grinned and she glared at him even more. « Imagine his big cabbage head on your cute little arse! »

« Fitz I swear if you keep talking about Milton and my butt …"

« Trust me Milton's face and your butt in the same context is the last thing I want to think about … » He blurted out, trying his best to hide his grin.

« That's it … » She trailed off, standing up to grab a pillow from the other bed and coming back to stand above him in what she hoped was a menacing stance. « I won't hesitate to use it Fitz … »

« Fine fine fine … I'll stop I'm too tired for a pillow fight … » He whined, lifting his hands up in surrender and after one last glare, she sat back at the end of the bed, hugging the pillow to her chest.

« So what are we going to do about it? » He asked after a moment of looking at each other.

« I don't know … »

« I guess once it's healed we could have it removed with … laser or something … »

« Fitz do you know how much it costs to do that? »

« Nooo …. »

« Well … me neither actually» She deflated. « But from what I heard it's quite expensive … not to mention very painful! » She added and he winced.

« Oh … well at least it's quite well concealed so I guess we could wait until we start getting paid in a year, save a bit of money for it and then go and get it removed … make it another memorable night out as best friends! » He finished and she chuckled.

« Yeah I guess that makes the most sense, we could do that! »

« Yeah … »

« We'll do that and use it as a reminder that drinking too … »

« … that you have the worst ideas when you're drunk! » he finished for her and she rolled her eyes.

« So … cute little arse? »

« Oh shut up Simmons! »

-0-0-0-

Closing her laptop and falling back into the couch, Jemma let out a big defeated sigh. She loved the new responsibilities her and Fitz were getting at Sci-Ops, she really did but it also meant that they got to either stay at work really late or bring home some work several times a week. And since Fitz left at seven that day, she didn't feel like staying at the lab alone so she left as well and decided that she could finish what she was doing at home in the cosy apartment they shared ever since they got their first assignment at Sci-Ops when they were just fresh out of the Academy.

But after spending more than two hours on that same ridiculous problem, she had to see reason and admit that she wouldn't solve this without Fitz. Of course she could always call him, he probably wouldn't mind. Emily though … that was another matter entirely. As much as Fitz tried to insist on the fact that his girlfriend didn't have a problem with her, Jemma could see the death glares she was giving her whenever he wasn't watching. She knew those, she'd seen them on some of her boyfriends several times when she and Fitz were together.

And as for her, it was not like she didn't like Emily, well she didn't LIKE her obviously but she didn't DISLIKE her per say. She just thought Fitz deserved better, that he deserved someone who could appreciate the full spectrum of his intelligence as well as his sweet, funny and endearing personality. And really, if she had a problem with him being so close to his female best friend, maybe she should be the one working on her trust issues and stop trying to steal from HER Fitz's time …

Anyway, whatever Jemma's opinion on Emily was, Fitz had chosen her, they were on a date tonight and she wouldn't create more tension by calling him now. Her problem would have to wait until the morning.

Getting up to go fix herself something to eat, she was startled by the sound of keys just outside the door and then the door opening a second later. She panicked for just a second, since Fitz wasn't supposed to come home at all tonight, until Fitz did pass the door, closed it behind him then walked straight for the couch and let himself fall face first on it with a loud groan.

Deciding that maybe diner could wait a little longer, Jemma turned back and went to sit on the couch's armrest closest to his face.

« Hu Fitz? Is there something wrong? » She asked softly.

More groaning.

« Come on Fitz. Why are you home so soon? » She insisted, giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze.

Some inaudible mumbling.

« Fitz! » She insisted. « Did something happen with Emily? »

« Mmhmm » He let out while nodding weakly.

« Do you want to talk about it? » She asked, unable to keep a slightly amused smile off her face at his childish attitude.

« Not particularly! » She managed to hear even though his voice was muffled by the cushions his face was still buried in.

« So you'd rather I call Emily and ask her why my best friend looks like a beached whale and is acting like a moody teenager? » She asked with a teasing tone.

« Won't answer you anyway! » He said, lifting his face from the couch just a moment then letting it fall back down.

« Fitz! »

« Fine fine … » He let out, turning around to rest on his back and look up at her. Looking down at him, she couldn't help smiling once more. Sometimes she forgot how gorgeous and expressive his blue eyes could be and how there was always an underlying softness when he looked at her, even when he was supposedly not in the best mood.

« Hi » She said, smiling softly. Whatever the circumstances she was always happy to see him and thought he wouldn't mind if she showed it.

« Hi » He replied, much less happily but still with a small smile.

« So … » She started, encouraging him to continue.

« So … Emily and I kind of … broke up … » He finally let out with a sigh.

« Oh Fitz! I'm so sorry but what … »

« That's alright Jemma … » He cut her off as he sat up and moved away from her to give her space to sit on the actual couch instead of the armrest. « You don't have to say that, I know you didn't like her anyway … »

« No Fitz it's not that I didn't like her it's just … that's not the point anyway! YOU obviously like her and I want you to be happy so … »

« I know ... I know Jemma … » He let out, still smiling a bit at her bad attempt at trying to hide how she truly felt about his now ex-girlfriend.

« So what happened? » She asked sincerely, scooting a little closer to him until their shoulders were touching.

« It's just something … it's really embarrassing Jemma I'm not sure … »

« But Fitz you know you can tell me anything right? »

« Yeah but this is … » He trailed off and she turned around a bit to look at him in the eyes and give his shoulder another encouraging squeeze. « It's just something that she wanted me to do and I didn't want to and things escalated and well … like I said, we broke up! » He finished and Jemma's brows furrowed in confusion. It actually asked more questions than it answered.

« Something? » She asked.

« Yeah … »

« Something … sexual maybe? » She winced.

« WHAT?! » He cried out as a small coughing fit took over him and she had to pat his back to help him catch his breath. « No Jemma urgh! » He let out once he was able to speak again.

« I don't know Fitz! You said it was embarrassing so I just thought … » She half whispered, feeling herself blush a little as well. They could talk about pretty much everything but sex was rarely one of those subjects. Somehow she'd always felt strangely bothered at the idea of imagining Fitz in this type of situation. And even if Fitz often made ridiculous sexual puns, he never actually talked about his or her own specific sex life so she figured he felt the same way.

« No no no it's nothing like that … it's hum … fine » He let out more firmly before turning to face her as well. « D'you remember that one time in London when we got drunk and got a tattoo? » He asked and she rolled her eyes.

« You're asking if I remember the craziest thing I've ever done? Yes, yes I do! » She answered and he chuckled.

« Yes sorry! I guess it was more of a rhetorical question than anything. Remember how we said we would get it removed when we had the time and money well … I kind of … never had it removed! » He finished, looking a bit sheepish.

« Fitz! » She cried out, looking shocked and just a little bit delighted.

« I know I know. At first, we just didn't have the money or the time with our final year at the Academy and first year at Sci-Ops so I kept thinking I'd do it later. And it's not like it's a big deal and I don't exactly see it all the time anyway. And by the time I probably had the money and time to do it well I-I had gotten used to it. Like you said, it's the craziest thing I've ever done and it IS kind of pretty and it reminds me of you so … can't really be a bad thing. » He finished with a shrug and a bashful smile that made her want to ruffle his hair and hug him and give him a cookie all at the same time because he was just so bloody adorable.

« So you think of me when you look at your butt? » She teased and he groaned.

« Oh so that's what you decide to take from this … » he mumbled, crossing his arms over his chest, probably in a bid to show his annoyance but that mostly made him look like a pouting toddler and Jemma had to refrain from laughing.

« Oh come on Fitz I'm just teasing! Actually … I kind of love the fact that you kept it, I'm really touched. And I love it even more considering that I kept mine for the exact same reasons … » She finished with a smile that was half mischievous and half shy.

« WHAT?! » He cried out with a delighted smile on his face.

« Yeah … »

« Show me! »

« What? No! »

« Why? … Oh … yeah sorry of course … didn't mean to … you know ... »

« That's fine Fitz I know!» She cut him off with a smile and he relaxed into the couch. « I can't believe it's been three years and we haven't talked about it since … » She added with a wistful sigh.

« Yeah well I thought you regretted yours and since I grew to like mine I didn't want to pressure you into keeping yours if you didn't want to so … » He trailed and she nodded.

« Same … I guess we're not always as good as we think at guessing what the other thinks. Anyway … » She started, her smile turning mischievous again and he squinted his eyes at her.

« It reminds me that I still haven't seen yours and... »

« Yes you have, the night we had it made, you were just too sloshed to remember it! » He cut her off and she rolled her eyes at him.

« Come on Fitz show me! I'm not asking you to strip entirely, just show me one butt cheek, I'm sure there's nothing to be embarrassed about! » She said, trying subtle flattery to convince him as she bumped her shoulder against his. « And anyway you've seen mine twice so that means you're still one time ahead of me … » She added, feeling quite pleased with herself for making this point.

« I didn't ASK for it! You were the one parading your butt around in our shared bedroom! » He grinned and she punched his shoulder playfully.

« Urgh Fitz! I was just trying to get a good look at it in the mirror! »

« Maybe but I still didn't ask for it … »

« Come on show me! »

« No »

« Pleeeeeease! »

« Nope »

« Come on Fitz, that's our shared BFF tattoo. It's a bit ridiculous that I haven't seen it even once in all those years, don't you think? »

« Maybe … »

« So show me … »

Silence. Obviously he was thinking about it. She should have known that simple logic was the way to go to convince him. Now she knew it would only take a bit more cajoling for him to finally say yes and she couldn't help grinning a bit.

« Come on Fitz show me! Pleeeeeeeeease please please please show me your tattoo … pleeeeease …. »

« OKAY! Okay ... I'll show you just to shut you up! » He cut her off and she grinned widely.

« Thank you Fitz … » She said, her voice softer as she moved even closer to him to press a small kiss to his cheek.

« Yeah yeah … » He answered, his tone annoyed but she was pretty sure she could see a small grin tugging at the corner of his lips.

Standing up, he turned his back on her and she could hear him unbuckle his belt and unzip his fly and she had to admit it felt a little awkward having Fitz willingly undress in front of her but it was also a tiny bit exciting, finally getting to see what she had spent three years imagining. Not that she actually often thought about her best friend's arse but still, she had often wondered what the drawing on her skin would look like on somebody else's.

« So hum … here it is ...» He mumbled bashfully and pushed down his jeans and boxer shorts just enough to show her most of his left butt cheek and his tattoo. It was exactly the same as hers (well of course she knew that, it's not like he would have gone crazy and decided to make a dolphin or a butterfly instead!), although it looked like it was placed a little lower, on the fleshier part and for some reason, she was tempted to touch it to make sure it was actually there, but she refrained from it, knowing not to push his boundaries too much.

« It's really just as cute as I thought it would be! » She finally let out with a wide smile as he pulled back his boxers and jeans and sat back on the couch.

« Well, it shouldn't be a surprise, I told you it was exactly the same as yours! » He answered, rolling his eyes in amusement.

« Oh yeah … I guess the tattoo's cute too … » She replied, grinning like a Cheshire cat now.

« Wait what were you … Jemma! » He cried out, blushing a deep shade of red and she burst out laughing.

« It's been three years ... I told you I would repay you for the cute little arse comment … and I mean it really congratulations Fitz, your butt looks really firm and perky and I'm actually quite jealous considering I haven't seen you exercise once since we passed the mandatory sports exam back at the academy … »

« Jemma please! » He cut her off by putting a finger on her lips but he softened immediately when he saw the sheepish look on her face. He knew she could sometimes be quite blunt and inappropriate but was also able to recognize when she meant well. Taking his finger away from her face, he let it fall to her hand, giving it a squeeze before letting go. « Thank you … I guess … but could we please stop talking about my butt? » He asked and she nodded, still a little sheepishly.

« God … if Emily only saw half of that, I wouldn't hear the end of it … » He let out, chuckling half-heartedly and Jemma gasped.

« Oh no Fitz … oh my god I'm so sorry, here I am asking about tattoos and looking at your bum when you just broke up with Emily! » She cried out, hiding her face in her hands in shame. « God … I'm such a bad friend! » She couldn't believe that the simple mention of his tattoo had made her forget about the main subject here.

« Hey Jemma … » He said with an incredibly soft voice as he pulled on her hands and tilted her face up to force her to look at him. « It's fine really … I know I should be sad and heartbroken but … » He trailed off and Jemma looked at him curiously. It certainly didn't look like she was the love of his life but this relationship had lasted longer than any other and it seemed like things were well between him and Emily or at least she thought so …

« Fitz? » She asked, tilting her head to the side to encourage him to say more.

« She never liked the tattoo, that I can understand I guess … but she never understood the importance of our friendship, always been jealous of you, tried to make me cancel plans with you … It always bothered me, she should have known I'd never be happy without you in my life anyway ...» He let out and Jemma felt a little flutter in her chest at his words. Sometimes he said the most beautiful things like it was nothing and it had a way of making her heart melt that never happened with anyone else.

« Tonight she asked me again when I would get rid of the tattoo and usually I just stay vague, say I'll look it up and just hope she'll forget about it. But this time she took me by surprise when we were talking about something else entirely and it just … came out … I said I didn't want to get rid of it cause it actually meant a lot to me. Should have told her from the beginning anyway but I hoped she would understand with time ...» His voice trailed off at the end and he looked down at his lap like there was something to be ashamed of somehow. As a wave of tenderness threatened to overtake her, she took his chin in her hand and tilted his face up, mirroring his gesture from earlier and forcing him to look into her eyes.

« Fitz … I'm sorry I feel a bit responsible … If I hadn't talked you into drinking and then getting tattooed, this … »

« Well I'm not! » He cut her off and her brows furrowed in confusion. « I'm not sorry … It might have been a stupid idea at first, but like I said, it reminds me of the best friend I've ever had and the way we held each other's hand as we got tattooed and I thought I would be passing out from the pain, not because of the tattoo but from how tight you held on, but also how giddy and excited you were about getting into bad girl shenanigans and … That's a nice memory Jem, I don't want to erase it ... » He trailed off, obviously trying to catch his breath and Jemma found that she was just as breathless even though she didn't get more than a few words out in the last few minutes. Looking down, she realized that she had unconsciously reached for his hand at some point. She still had no real memory of that moment but looking at him now, she had a flash of the way he had looked at her then with mirth and an infinite tenderness in his eyes.

« And you told her that? » She asked, surprising herself with the low tone of her voice.

« Yeah mostly… » He chuckled nervously. « And then she went on and on about how it's not healthy for us to be so co-dependant and that if I wasn't willing to make more for her, we might as well break up because I'd never love her as much as I love you and I-I didn't really contradict her so … here I am … » He finished with a sigh.

« Oh Fitz … » She let out, rubbing her thumbs over his palms soothingly.

« Honestly I knew for some time that it wouldn't last, I guess she just ended it before I had the time to do it … »

She was getting more and more confused about how she felt about the whole situation. She felt guilty about being the cause of their break-up. But if she was being honest with herself, she knew that one or two of her break ups had had to do with her relationship with Fitz as well, the tattoo probably not helping either, but she never blamed Fitz for it, in the end it's always been her decision to prioritize their friendship. So she was relatively confident that Fitz wouldn't blame her either. She was also kind of relieved because she never really liked Emily (which made her feel even guiltier) and in the same time incredibly touched and happy about the beautiful words Fitz had just said to her. All of this creating a whirlwind of confusion and intense emotions inside her mind as she was trying to come up with something appropriate to say to him but she was cut off before she had the chance.

« It's just as well really. She was right I think, we didn't have a future. I think she was expecting me to tell her she was more important than you and that was never going to happen because I met the most important person in my life years ago in professor Vaughn's class and … »

« You mean … me? » Jemma cut him off breathlessly, her heart threatening to beat out of her chest, however scientifically impossible she knew it was.

« Well of course you Jemma! » He replied with a teasing smile, visibly amused that he had to state the obvious to Jemma Simmons of all people. « You're my best friend and my favorite person in the world and I don't know why I try to find someone else, I never needed anyone else in my life … Jemma? » He interrupted himself when he saw the tears pooling in her eyes and realized how close to him she suddenly was. Close enough that she could feel the incredible heat that always seemed to radiate our of him. « Did I say something … »

Whatever he might have had to say at this moment was cut short by Jemma's lips crashing against his. The force of the impact surprised them both so much that they almost fell back on the couch. But Jemma held on tight to his shoulders to bring him back up and before she had the time to think about the craziness of what she was doing, Fitz was kissing her back. His lips moved softly against hers and her hands framed his face just as his went around her waist to pull her closer. They both moaned at how incredibly good and right it felt and when his tongue licked at the seam of her lips, she parted them willingly and deepened the kiss. It went on for what felt like hours, their lips separating for a second, only to reunite into another even more heated kiss as they moaned and gasped and it felt like his heat was coursing through her whole body, covering all her skin in goosebumps. It felt like such pure pleasure and happiness that she never wanted to stop, didn't want to risk breaking this fragile bubble, didn't want to have to put into words what had been an instinctive reaction as her feelings suddenly couldn't be contained inside herself anymore.

But at some point, air became a true necessity and they had to break apart. For a moment, they remained close, only their foreheads touching and panting hard after putting so much passion into the kiss. But after a moment, she started feeling something wet on her thumb where her hand was still framing his face and she gasped when she opened her eyes and realized he was silently crying.

« Fitz … » She whispered, her voice quivering as she started crying as well, feeling like her heart was breaking into a million pieces. He was just sad and confused about his break up and now she felt like the most horrible friend for taking advantage of him like that. « I'm so sorry it's just … those words … this is the most beautiful thing anyone's ever said to me and it just sounded so normal to you and suddenly it became obvious … you and I and I just had to know … »

« Jemma … » He tried to cut her off but she was too focused on her heartbreaking apology to see the smile that had started making its way on his face as he was finally out of his kissing induced daze.

«And I shouldn't have kissed you like that, not when you're vulnerable and confused but the way you … »

This time he was the one to cut her off, slanting his mouth against hers and it felt like they'd never stopped, picking up the kiss at the exact same level of passion they stopped a moment ago. As their lips and tongues engaged in another passionate dance, he pulled her into his embrace until she ended up across his lap, shivering when his hand descended low on her waist and skimmed at the skin bared by her bunched up t-shirt. God, he was always so passionate about everything, she should have known it would translate into the way he kissed as well.

« Fitz! » She moaned both in pleasure and as an unasked question. What did that kiss mean to him?

« Jemma … » He started as he pulled back just enough to be able to look her in the eyes. « Don't apologize that was perfect! » He let out, a wide smile brightening his beautiful face even through his tears and her brows furrowed in confusion. « Those are happy tears and I can't believe how stupid I've been all these years tears and kissing my best friend is so perfect and mind-blowing that I'm crying like an idiot tears … » He finally let out and they both burst out laughing.

« So … what I thought your words meant … did they actually mean that … »

« I'm in love with you Jemma, probably always have been ... well maybe not these first few weeks at the academy before we were partnered, you were kind of annoying, always answering the teacher's questions before anyone else had the chance ..."

"Fitz!" She swatted his chest to get him back on track.

" Sorry ..." He grinned. "Anyway, the point is ... I didn't realize that's what I was saying -and feeling- until the words came out of my mouth and suddenly you were kissing me and I-I ... now it's all so obvious! » He declared, feeling breathless by the end of his sentence. Jemma couldn't contain the joy of hearing him say out loud every thought crossing her brain at the moment so she crushed him into a tight hug and buried her face into the crook of his neck. She unashamedly took a big gulp of air and let out a sigh a contentment at that special mix of shampoo, soap and something that was just him and had always gave her the feeling of home.

« You were the first real friend I've ever had and this connection we had, I thought I'd never the time to develop it with anyone else without sacrificing what we had. For a long time I felt like I'd be fine with having only a best friend in my life because you always made me happier than anyone else anyway. But suddenly I realized that I didn't have to sacrifice my friendship with you to have a romantic relationship. I just had to be courageous and take that last step. » She whispered in his ear and they stayed that way for a long moment.

« And god, how right I was … » She finally added as she moved back just enough to capture his lips in a tender kiss that still managed to send shivers down her spine. « I love you too Fitz, so much and in every way imaginable! » She said when they broke the kiss and he gave her the brightest smile she thought she's ever seen on his face.

« So … what now? Are we like a … couple? » He asked with a bashful sort of smile she'd always found pretty irresistible.

« Well … yeah … if you want to? I mean you just broke up with Emily and you probably want to take some time to process all this. » She answered a little bashfully, looking down at their entwined hands on her lap. She didn't even know which one of them had reached for the other.

« No! I mean I might sound like I'm a terrible person but I don't really need to process things and I don't feel like waiting longer to be … with you … it's a bit crazy though right? I mean an hour ago I told Emily wrong when she said there was something more between us … » He let out, looking up at her with an amused smile and she chuckled.

« Well just like I did with most of my boyfriends, most of my other friends and all my family members … »

« Oh god … the symphony of « I told you so » and « I knew it » is going to be unsufferable! How about we keep it a secret or just leave the country, make a new life somewhere else where we don't have to explain ourselves?" He asked and she shook her head with a fond smile.

« Nope … you're mine now, I'm letting the whole world know before another Emily tries to steal you away! » She answered, punctuating her words with another soft kiss to his lips.

« I was always yours Jemma … » He whispered against her lips before kissing her once more, deeper and hungrier, leaving her breathless when they finally broke apart. « Gonna take some getting used to though … » He finally added and she nodded.

« Probably yes. Nothing much has to change though, we'll just add a few things to our list and it'll become our new normal. We're still gonna work together and live together and go out together and stay at home watching TV together except I expect there'll be quite a lot of kissing in between and when I'll go to bed at night you'll be right there beside me and I'll get to steal as much of your warmth as I want and … well I guess you'll end up seing both of my butt cheeks at some point! » She finished and he grinned mischievously.

« Already had actually … » He answered and she gasped. « What? You thought they managed to uncover only the one cheek when you got the tattoo? Think about it Jemma it's not very practical … » He finished, grinning even wider.

« You little … » She started before she changed her mind and moved away from his lap to kneel next to him on the couch.

« Jemma what … » But with a surprising show of strength, she pushed at his shoulders until he was forced to turn around and lie down on the couch and Jemma straddled his hips before he had the time to protest.

« I'm making sure our tattoos get to meet once more, I think they've been missing each other! » She whispered huskily and they both laughed at how kind of ridiculous it sounded before she descended on him to capture his lips in another kiss.

That night, there was a lot more talking and laughing, like there was every night in the FitzSimmons apartment. But soon there was also more kissing and gasping and moaning and tattoos finally getting reunited, resting next to each other in perfect symmetry, and they both decided that they liked this new normal a lot more.

-0-0-0-

« Are we there yet? »

« Yeah just another right turn and we should be there so you can stop asking me questions Jem! » Fitz answered in fake annoyance and Jemma bumped his shoulder before lacing her arm through his.

« Fine, I'll just wait … it's just we only have a few days here before going back to work, I don't want to waste any time! »

« I know but trust me it'll be good … » Fitz answered with a mischievous smile.

« You know this neighborhood is vaguely familiar but I just can't put my finger on it … » Jemma trailed off when she finally noticed a very specific neon sign. Now she remembered when she came to this neighborhood the last time. « Oh … » She let out with a growing smile.

« Yeah, I thought it was time you get to see where we had them made … After all they're the reason we got together in the first place … » Fitz said as they stopped in front of the window. Nothing much seemed to have changed in the small shop and he was actually too busy looking at the reflection of the beautiful woman with her head on his shoulder looking lovingly back at him. They had fallen into this relationship like it was the most natural thing in the world and most of the time, he couldn't think of a time when they weren't together. And yet sometimes, he looked at them from his sixteen years old self perspective and he couldn't help thinking he just got really lucky because someone as extraordinary as Jemma Simmons wouldn't have normally ended up with someone like him.

« Oh I'm sure they helped but we would have gotten there eventually you know! » She said, getting up on her toes and giving him a soft kiss on the lips. Her smile was radiant when they broke apart.

« So hum … as nice as this neighborhood is, I didn't bring you here just to SEE this place … » Fitz started and her eyes widened. « I thought it would be nice to update our « friendship » tattoo, what do you think? » He finished with a slightly nervous but hopeful smile.

« You know I'm pretty sure Mark meant it as a joke when he suggested that … » Jemma answered, arching an eyebrow in amusement.

« I know … »

« And it's bad enough that he's seen our tattoo in the first place … on YOUR butt! » Jemma added and Fitz sighed.

« Well, would you rather he had seen it on yours? I know your family's a bit strange but still … »

« Urgh no Fitz, I'd rather he hadn't seen it AT ALL … »

« Well he shouldn't enter a newlywed couple's room without knocking! »

« Fitz it was the middle of the afternoon! » Jemma cried out with a fond eye roll.

« The argument still stands! Your step sister agrees with me! It's a miracle no one's noticed it the previous day anyway!»

« Well, rest assured he won't ever do the same mistake again … » Jemma grinned.

« That's good to know for the next time we get married Jem … » He answered and they both chuckled. « Anyway … what do you think? I know it was a joke but it kind of grew on me since then … »

She remained silent for a moment and he could almost hear the cogs turning in her brain. But then she finally turned to him and gave him a bright wide smile.

« Let's do it! » She declared.

« Yeah? »

« Yes! »

« After you doctor Fitz-Simmons! » Fitz said, opening the door to the small tattoo shop for her.

-0-0-0-

Fitz recognized the man who tattooed them five years ago the moment he laid eyes on him.

« Hi, you probably don't remember us but … »

« Hey! » The man cried out enthusiastically as he looked up from his notebook. « BFF arse tattoos! Nice to see you're still friends after all this time … » He let out as Jemma and Fitz exchanged an amused smile.

« So I guess you remember us … » Fitz answered, blushing slightly. « Oh and we usually go by Fitz and Jemma by the way! » He added and the man chuckled.

« Sure well nice to see you again guys, I'm Hunter. And of course I remember you! I remember every tattoo I've done but yours was quite special, one of the nicest small pieces I've ever tattooed, a shame you made me promise not to expose the photos I had of it! »

« Oh … » Jemma grinned. « Good to know we were conscious enough to ask it of you! »

« Yeah surprised me as well! » The man answered with a teasing grin. « So what brings you here? Want another one so your other cheek doesn't feel left out? » He asked and they both chuckled.

« Well actually we were wondering if it would be possible … » Fitz started.

« … to add something to the one we already have!» Jemma finished.

« Oh yeah … I remember that as well … » Hunter said, moving his finger between the two of them, thus probably referring to the way they'd always finished each other's sentences. « Kind of thought it was a drunken thing though … but yeah yeah I guess it's possible, depends on what you want to add. »

« Just a few numbers, a date actually … » Fitz started, a bashful smile on his face. It still felt unreal to tell people about it. « The day we got married to be more precise … » Fitz finished, giving Jemma a side glance and seing the same smile reflected on her face.

« WHAT?! » Hunter cried out and stood up from his chair behind the counter to come closer to them. « Congratulations guys! You should have told me that to begin with! » He let out before engulfing them both in a sort of group hug and they couldn't help laughing at this almost total's stranger enthusiasm.

« Oh … Okay » Jemma said in a soft tone as she returned the hug a little awkwardly. « Thank you! So ... it's possible then? »

« If it's possible? Of course it is! » He cried out and after he seemed to give it extra thought, he gave them a big smile and added: « I'll even do you one better, I'll make them both for the price of one if you don't mind me calling my wife here so she can see you! »

« Uh? » Jemma and Fitz both let out in the same time and he chuckled.

« Small confession mates … Normally I would never tattoo someone as drunk as you guys were back then! »

« Oh? »

« Yeah, really it's not professional and call me an hopeless romantic but … when I saw you two, I knew there was something special and I thought maybe the tattoo would help you realize that … »

« Oh … » Fitz let out with a knowing smile. « Well apparently everyone except us seemed to know that as well but actually the tattoo did help us realize it … even if it took us three more years! »

« I knew it! » Hunter cried out as he did a fist pump. « So tell me everything! »

« It's quite a long story actually … »

« Okay then you'll tell me while you're on the table, keep you occupied! So … one of you will have to pull down his pants so I can trace the original drawing and include the new elements properly! »

The couple looked at each other defiantly for almost a minute until Fitz ended up rolling his eyes and Jemma gave a triumphant grin.

« Fine I'll do it! Everyone's seen my arse by now anyway … » Fitz let out and Hunter gave him a questioning eyebrow. « Stupid traditional Scottish wedding in the windiest place known to man! » He sighed and both Hunter and Jemma had to stifle their laugh.

« I see … »

« So what does it have to do with your wife by the way? » Jemma asked as Hunter was busy tracing Fitz's tattoo on transparent paper.

« Well back then, she told me how unprofessional it was and how stupid my reasons were and that just because you were best friends of the opposite sex didn't mean anything had to happen between the two of you. SO it means that for the first time in eight years of marriage I will be right and she will be wrong! »

If he thought it was possible, Fitz would have said that, in this moment, Hunter was even happier than Jemma and him had been on their wedding day.

-0-0-0-

Later, as she was getting tattooed and Fitz was telling Hunter the story of how they realized they've been in love all along, she held his hand as tightly as she could. And however painful it was for the both of them, she reveled in the knowledge that the memory of his smile, the way he looked at her like she was doing something incredibly heroic and everything in this moment, would be imprinted on her mind as well as her skin.

And when it was time for Fitz to lie down on the table, this time she reveled in the knowledge that this cute little arse and everything else about him was now official and legally hers.

 **First of all I'd like to insist on the fact that a very vast majority of tattoo artists are real professionals and would never tattoo someone who's drunk (and really if you found one who'd be willing to do it, you should probably not get tattooed there) and most of them won't tattoo you on the spot anyway and would most likely give you an appointment for a at least a few days later. That said, the sake of the plot, I needed one who would agree. And that's where the idea of making him accept because he's romantic came from. And then it became obvious to me that it had to be Hunter!**

 **Also, I actually thought of that story and kind of wrote it all in my head as I was getting my last tattoo, which is probably why this is the fastest I've ever written an entire story! The drunken ass tattoo comes from a private joke with my best friend. We've always said that one day, we'd get drunk and go get a stupid matching tattoo on our asses. So since I'll probably never actually do it, I thought I'd use the idea for FitzSimmons!**


End file.
